Airbus Installs 3D-Printed Bracket on Commercial Aircraft
Arconic produced the titanium bracket, which Airbus installed on its A350 XWB series production commercial aircraft.
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Arconic and Airbus have installed a 3D-printed titanium bracket on a series production Airbus commercial aircraft, the A350 XWB. Arconic is 3D printing these parts for Airbus’s newest widebody aircraft at its additive manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas.
While airplane makers have been using 3D-printed parts for components inside the cabin, equipping airframes with additively manufactured metal parts is new, the companies say.
In addition, the installation of the bracket on a series production commercial airplane, as opposed to a test airplane, is a step forward in the qualification of more complex 3D-printed parts for production aircraft. 3D-printed parts, including metal printed cabin brackets and bleed pipes, are already on Airbus A320neo and A350 XWB test aircraft.
This bracket is part of an ongoing partnership between Airbus and Arconic. Last year, Arconic announced three agreements with Airbus to produce 3D-printed titanium and nickel parts for commercial aircraft, including the A320 and A350 XWB.
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